The Chains of Privilege
by Catalinabella
Summary: As the Princess of Saturn prepares to assume the throne she reflects on the duty no one can possibly understand. Or perhaps there is someone who can... Written for the SM Monthly community on LJ.


Title: The Chains of Privilege

 Theme: Castle in the Sky 

Genre: General/Angst

 Version: AR (Sliver Millennium)

 Rating: G  

 "Are you ready, Princess?"  

"Why must I be forced to endure this Rhea?" the young woman stared sullenly at her governess. 

 "Your subjects are eager to see their new ruler. Representatives from the rest of the Solar System will be present as well. They all wish to pay their respects to you," the elderly woman replied with a knowing sigh, her weathered bony hands brushing her charge's waist-length ebony hair in the same fashion as when those hands were soft and plump and the hair chin-length.

  The Princess, soon to be Queen, of Saturn, had just lost the woman who had birthed her. She could not truly be called Hotaru's mother because Hotaru possessed no memory of her. The heir to the Throne of Silence could not know the current monarch. This was to ensure that the child would not be affected by pointless emotions if the mother had to release the power of the Cronithian Dynasty. Hotaru had grown up isolated from everything, dwelling in Titan Castle with only Rhea for company. She had never even set foot on her own planet, seeing only an aerial view of it from her magnificent prison. That did not inhibit her from understanding the importance of her duty, however. Despite her adolescence, the Princess of Silence was wiser than most of the crowned heads of the Solar System. She learned from an early age the burden her family carried. She been preparing since then for the day when she would claim that burden as her own and it had arrived. But Hotaru was not complaining about that. After she was crowned there was to be some sort of celebration, a ball Rhea called it. The young woman who could recite Plato by heart and read Sir Thomas More's Utopia for pleasure was puzzled by Rhea's description of a lighthearted party. "Oh Princess, it's wonderful! There will be music and dancing, and lots of handsome men!" The usually stern-faced woman got a dreamy fog in her eyes. Men? Hotaru had never known any men except Lord Bentham, her ancient tutor. Dancing? Rhea had taught her of course, but she had never tried to dance in public. Besides all that, she didn't get the point. It just seemed so…frivolous. She imagined that all of the guests were haughty nobles who only wanted to see her out of curiosity. There was no way anyone could comprehend the power and chains she was to inherit.

* * *

He looked up in awe. He had seen countless beautiful structures throughout his life: temples made of marble, mansions of stone, an infinite number of castles. Yet the Priest of Dreams had never beheld anything quite like Titan Castle. The palace was in the sky orbiting the planet, which was not unusual; most of the other royal dwellings of the Solar System were the same way. However, all similarities ended there. The building was constructed entirely of black crystal, with silver light reflecting off the surface. He entered under the quartz archway, showing a wax-sealed scroll to the attendant letting guests into the ballroom. "I am Helios, here on behalf of the Golden Kingdom of Earth." The guard waved his hand toward the other guests making their way to the festivities. Helios walked into the room, the effect of the beauty of the castle wearing off as he took in the sight of dancing couples and idle chatter. He had forgotten how much he disliked these kinds of affairs. Perhaps because he watched over dreams he could not stand the façade of reality. As he made his way across the room he caught snippets of whispers.   "What a tiny little thing, do you really think she can…Cold, isn't she?...She hasn't smiled once…Not what a queen should be at all…"   Helios was not one to listen to gossip. He would meet the young ruler of Saturn face to face before reporting back to Prince Endyminion. But one glance at the vacant throne told him that meeting her was easier said than done. Not wanting to mingle with the vultures, he found a set of glass doors that led to a large garden attached to the revolving castle. Helios shut the doors quietly, obliterating the noise of the party. He looked around, the scent of flowers too exotic to name wafting through the air. Helios moved closer to inspect the flowers when a shadow stopped him. A woman stood in the center of the garden, staring blankly at the planet below. "Is something wrong, Miss?"   The woman turned around sharply, as if something had just bitten her. "N-No. I'm alright, thank you. I just…"  "Wanted to get away? I can empathize," Helios gave her a small smile.  "Yes, I suppose so. I've never been to this sort of thing before. It's not really my cup of tea," She put a wayward strand of black hair behind her ear.   "Mine either, Princess." Helios bowed.  "How did you…?"  " Let's just call it luck," he gently took her white hand and brought it to his lips.

**Author's Note: Written for the May 2008 Sailor Moon Monthly Fanfiction Challenge on LiveJournal, Rair Pairs. **


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